Law Firm Preston Gates & Ellis is going broadband. No they are not
launching a broadband law division. They have, however, become the latest company to sign up to use Terabeam's Fiberless Optic services.

Preston Gates & Ellis will become the fourth company to sign up for Terabeam's services. Back in February, Terabeam announced that they inked deals with the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, Avenue A and Simpson Investment Company.

Terabeam will be providing the firm's 900 attorneys and staff with Internet connectivity by beaming invisible light directly through the firm's office windows.

Preston Gates & Ellis could have also turned to traditional fiber companies to get their high-speed connections up and running. However, according to Terabeam VP of Sales & Marketing Jim Masterson, it's all about competition.

Masterson notes that Terabeam was able to guarantee that its service would be up and running within 30 days, while most traditional providers fit more into the 90-120 day time frame.

Seattle's Terabeam received worldwide attention last September, when it was able to show its technology in action during the Sydney Olympics.

For the first time in Olympics' history, television signals of the Games were relayed over a light beam through the air, rather than the more traditional fiber optics or microwave systems that the world's broadcast networks had used up until then.

According to a Terabeam Spokesperson, the success in Sydney definitely contributed to the significant international interest in Terabeam's service. The company, in fact, has received inquiries from at least 60 different countries.

Although, Terabeam is already planning its international strategy, seattle.internet.com has learned that Terabeam's next deployment will be in Denver later this Summer. The company plans on making its fiber optic services available in six U.S. markets by the end of 2001.